Humidity in Coffee What Percentage Is Acceptable?
Although green coffee beans appear to be dry before roasting, there is still some moisture inside. After being picked from the branch, a ripe unprocessed coffee bean will have 45 to 55 percent moisture. After that, the moisture content will be reduced to 10 to 12 percent by pre-processing and drying (or drying).
Some brewing procedures will re-wet the beans (such as wet pre-processing), but they must be dried before being packaged for shipment to the manufacturer, so they may not be able to absorb any more moisture.
The correct humidity level will also assist the green coffee beans in lasting longer before being roasted by the chefs.
Quality Assurance During the drying process
Coffee cherries ripen unevenly, so farmers must choose between picking them all at once or breaking them up to harvest only ripe cherries on most farms. Fortunately, the harvesting practice is increasingly phased out as consumers demand higher-quality coffee, and producers earn more money by selling mature coffee.
A coffee bean can be dried in various ways, including utilizing a drier, drying on a concrete floor, drying on a specific platform, and so on… Coffee-growing areas in Vietnam are diverse, ranging from lowland to lowland. As a result, primary processing methods vary depending on local strengths. To ensure uniformity in the quality of green coffee beans, the farmer on the farm must mark each batch of coffee and monitor its moisture level during the drying process.
The Dangers of Too Much Moisture in Green Coffee
Green coffee should be stored at a humidity level of 11 to 12.5 percent, as stated at the start of this article. High humidity can boost order volume in volume orders, good for sellers but bad for purchasers. They are in danger of the green coffee becoming moldy and destroying the entire shipment.
What about overly dry green coffee beans?
Green coffee bean that is too dry is lighter in weight, much like green beans that are too wet, but at the seller’s expense.
Another crucial concern is that the green coffee beans are overly dry, which reduces the coffee’s aroma, freshness, and delectability (in the case of moisture content below 9 percent). When the coffee is roasted, humidity is also crucial; if the humidity is too low, the coffee will ripen too quickly on the surface while remaining intact on the interior, resulting in a grassy flavor).
Green coffee storage
Imagine spending a lot of money on a great specialty coffee only to receive it with a musty odor and a stale flavor due to inadequate green bean storage.
Green coffee is porous and absorbs flavors and odors rapidly, so it’s necessary to handle it with care throughout storage and transportation. Factors like humidity, light, and temperature should not be overlooked by producers, purchasers, or roasters.
Moisture content
Beans that are too wet may mold, and beans that are too dry will lose their flavors and fragrances. The International Coffee Organization (ICO) recommends that coffee beans in storage have a humidity level of 11–12.5 percent. Some roasters and producers, on the other hand, prefer to dry their beans to a moisture content of 10% to 10.5 percent.
It’s critical that the moisture level does not vary throughout storage, regardless of how exactly it is. This implies you’ll need to keep an eye on your warehouse/transportation temperature, as well as the oxygen levels inside the bag, according to Hanuman. The oxygen levels, to be precise. This is due to the fact that humidity refers to the amount of water vapor in the air. Moisture can go in and out of those bags if air can.
For decades, green coffee beans have been delivered in jute or burlap sacks. These have a number of advantages, including low cost, although they are not hermetic or airtight. If moisture is present in the external environment, it will allow moisture into the coffee – something that can be difficult to regulate during transportation or in extremely humid environments.
Single-layer plastic bags, on the other hand, can cause condensation to form within, especially when the temperature fluctuates. As a result, your green beans may pale or bleach. Say hello to fresh coffees with reduced fragrance, acidity, and tastes that taste like previous crops.